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7 Things in 7 Years

August 31, 2016

Hi guys, welcome back to my blog. Today (as I'm procrastinating in the office) is Malaysia's Independence Day! To all my readers in Malaysia out there, Happy Merdeka!

2016 marks my 7th year living in Malaysia, so today I thought I'd list down 7 things I've gained throughout my teenage life here in Malaysia:

1. The Malaysian accent

The Malaysian accent and slang are two things that you cannot miss, even if you visit Malaysia only for a while. Suffixes like "lah", "leh', "meh" and "ma" are now a staple part of my daily vocab that even when talking to westerners I have the urge to add them in. I think that the Malaysian accent is fun and I definitely don't regret having it.

2. Rojak vocabulary + a respect for different cultures

Rojak is a dish where different fruits are mixed together, and rojak vocab refers to using words from different languages together in a sentence. In addition to learning Chinese in high school I took basic BM classes in college, as well as picking up a sprinkle of Tamil/Hindi here and there as well (I still get confused between the two). I think living in a place with such diverse cultures is such an awesome experience and it's definitely made me more open minded to different cultures' beliefs and practices.

3. A wider food palate

Home to a melting pot of different cultures, living in Malaysia has exposed me to different cuisines as well. From Nyonya to Mamak, Malaysia has a ton of food that you'll be hard pressed to find a favourite. Studying in Penang amplified my food experience as well, so if you're thinking of coming to Malaysia I definitely suggest trying out Penang's food.

4. A thirst for spice

Sambal, curry and tomyum, oh my! Malaysians definitely have a thing for spicy food and along the way I became #TeamSpicy too. In contrary to my home of the Philippines, Malaysians prefer almost everything with a side of cili padi to give it that hot edge.

5. TRF + TBC

A bit personal, but I'm glad to have my my group of friends! I probably would have made friends if I went anywhere else in the world but I'm glad I have these people specifically and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

*By the way, my high school gang's called TRF and my college gang coincidentally ended up being called TBC hahaha*

6. A tolerance for heat

Okay, maybe not a tolerance but more of an understanding of how heat and skin works. As you guys know I have tricky oily skin and living in a place as hot and humid as Malaysia definitely made me more aware of what products I should use and what I should and shouldn't do.

7. Teh Ais

If I were to drink one drink for the rest of my life, it would be teh ais. I swear I'll die of diabetes because its so full of sugar and I drink it so often BUT ITS SO WORTH IT.

And that's all for this random list. I'm at work today because I have some stuff to finish but its nothing too bad. I probably would have just wasted away at home doing nothing anyway.